'Ryou, now known as Arbiter, is the last living being from the now dead world Terralius. Through a combination of events both out of his control and by his own choosing, he now is the Balance-Keeper of his own universe. Having that role, he wields the power of the Balance- the perfect combination of the respective energies of Chaos and Order- which makes his strength god-like.

Ryou lived during the last ages of Terralius- the "Golden" Age, and the Science-Magic War. Over the course of years upon Terralius, divisions between those who championed the new Science and those who championed the old Magic led the two factions to evolve into slightly different species, and they both grew to despise each other even further. Those who followed Science became known as the Intrids, and those who clung to the old Magics and traditions became known as the Archics. Half-Breeds, those with both Intrid and Archic blood, were despised by both races. Ryou himself was a half-breed. His early childhood years had been forgotten, but for as long as he could remember, he had lived in the Underground of the Golden City.

Contents

Prologue

In the last age of Terralius, the age of Science, A youth named Jason found an emaciated emerald-haired child hiding in the streets of the Underground. Jason took this boy under his wing, and introduced him to two other children that lived on the streets with him, who had formed a small group. The silver-haired girl, Kagami, also took the child under her wing, while the other boy, Malovus, resented the newcomer because he was a Half-Breed. The boy had no name nor knew from where he had come, and so Kagami gave him a name- Ryou.
As time passed, Ryou became close to Kagami, and looked up to Jason like a father. Malovus, however, would never miss an opportunity to bully Ryou when the others didn't notice. As the years passed, Jason died, and Malovus was shunned by Kagami, who was more than aware of his cruelty to Ryou. Resenting Ryou, seeing him as the one who tore him from his "family", Malovus became increasingly distant before one day, ultimately departing, hoping to use his brilliant mind to become one of the Lords of Science, a parliament that basically controlled the planet.

Ryou and Kagami eventually fell in love. Outside the bonds of marriage and just before adulthood, Kagami eventually gave birth to a son, whom they named Jason, after the youth that took them in and cared for them.

Turmoil began to spread across the planet as the Intrids and the Archics, two separate species, began to clash more and more. Finally, Malovus, now a high-ranking Science Lord, publicly denounced the Archic culture, ultimately sparking world war. To contribute to the war, Malovus began to experiment with bioweapons. Malovus ordered the capture of Ryou, and began to run an experiment upon him, to both break his mind and increase his power (ironically using both technology and the Archic magics that he had denounced). In the middle of the test,

Kagami had burst into the room, demanding her old friend to leave Ryou alone. Malovus instead ordered his guards to capture Kagami and her child. At this point, Ryou's mind snapped, and he began to use his new powers uncontrollably and unconsciously. The guards began to retaliate, and in the chaos, Kagami and young Jason were struck down. When Ryou came to, he was horrified about what had happened, and the question of whether he or one of Malovus's guards killed Kagami haunted him for long after.

Just before the war had ended, Ryou left the planet, alone and depressed, eventually arriving on the world Aegis. Here he met a species of elf-like people who took him in. He befriended a sage-like elf named Baqer, and a golden-scaled dragon named Seren Crwydryn. Yet war broke out on this world, too. A shadowy species had appeared on their world, set upon anihillating all life. After a fierce and bloody war, the shadowy creatures were defeated; yet Baqer had died and Seren had gone missing. At this point, Ryou lost all hope and even considered suicide.

Suddenly, a being known as the Secret of Order appeared before Ryou, offering him relief from his emotional pain. Ryou agreed, and the Secret bestowed upon Ryou the power of Balance, formed from the energies of Order and Chaos. In the process, due to the nature of Order, Ryou's emotions were suppressed and destroyed, including his deep sadness. In time, Ryou thought about the violence that had torn him from those he had loved. He determined that the only way to save the living from such misery was through the destruction of all "corrupt" and "evil" worlds. Ryou shed his old name, and called himself Arbiter, for it was he who would "judge" worlds and determine if they were corrupt enough for obliteration. For the next several centuries, Arbiter destroyed countless planets.

Book I

Book II

Book III

Book IV

Book V

Relationships With Other Characters

As a person trying to make amends for horrific wrongs of the past, Arbiter is still re-learning the importance of forming bonds with people.

"This girl truly is a valiant warrior and a friend who would stand by your side until the end. Without her, I would likely remain an ignorant monster who destroys worlds... I wonder what could've happened to her...?"

"Ironic... how most monsters in the universe seem to be rogue gods... and yet, the monster I hate the most is this simple little man. I will make him pay for the Hell that he has put countless people through...

"I wish I could tell her just who I truly am... but she is not ready for that... I must remain distant from this girl, and not distract her from her destiny... all I can do is watch her grow with loving eyes and guide her down the path she must take..."

Personality/Appearance

Arbiter's personality is a strange, constantly shifting mass of confused sentiments and emotions. As a child, he was distant from all people except for very few, having been maltreated for simply being a "half-breed" (Young Blood). Around Kagami, however, he was able to break loose from his cold, fearful, and distant persona, revealing a warmer side to him.

As Arbiter obtained the power of Order, he lost all trace of emotion, becoming bent on purging evil from the universe with mechanical certainty (The Verdict). After obtaining the Balance by adding the power of Chaos to himself, Arbiter's emotions rushed back within him in a confused and jumbled mess (Judge and Executioner).

Up until the Voice's famed attack on Earth (Warcry), Arbiter acted and appeared to be very cold and serious, but did make a few "friends", such as Inferno, Ruichi, and Trickster. Some time after battling the monstrous Arodnap, he officially befriended Inferno, Amnesty, and Red, and considered them brother and sisters (Dusk).

Soon after, Arbiter helped Amnesty defend her realm from the demon king Drac, and it is hinted that during this time, he became infatuated with Amnesty (Conquest of Darkness). Years later, when Arbiter and his friends confronted Eclipse behind the Gate, Arbiter used his love of his friends as a weapon against Eclipse, and even admitted his love for Amnesty. However, the cost of setting things right in the end shattered Arbiter's soul and stripped him of most of his memories (The Gate of Genesis). His personality changed into a slightly more cheerful one for a time afterwards, yet his memories slowly began to return, and he began to sink more and more into misery. Finally, with the death of his brother Inferno, Arbiter snapped (Monsters). The disappearance of Amnesty soon after severely damaged Arbiter's sanity, and he began to see visions of his fallen comerades and friends, mocking him for his weakness and his inability to save them (Return to Order).

Arbiter remains slightly insane for some time after, yet around Sangria, it is seen that his rational mind is able to return (Tainted Hearts). For a currently unconfirmed reason, Arbiter finally returns to sanity sometime after.

Arbiter appears to look like a 25 year old male with a lean, yet very fit build. Despite that, he seems to emanate a regal kind of power that would intimidate the average person. His gold-eyed stare is known to be piercing and harsh. On the outside, he appears to be stoic, resolute, and intimidating. On the inside, Arbiter is confused with the way things make him feel, like the warmth that he feels when he is with his friends.

Arbiter, in the events until The Gate of Genesis, would dress in black pants, and wear a fuschia vest over a white shirt. His hair would be in a long, thin pony-tail. After The Gate of Genesis, Arbiter donned a black traveler's cloak that covered his entire body, and let his hair flow freely.

Powers/Abilities

Keeper of Balance (Arbiter can tap into the power of Balance- the fusion of Chaos and Order- thus granting him a wide arsenal of abilities centered around spreading entropy or stability. These powers can even extend to abstract concepts, in certain situations.)

Tier 4 Psychokinesis (Arbiter can project his mind and willpower into specific locations, even to distances light-years away; this allows him to control objects with his mind, read the thoughts and memories of others, and link his mind with the mind of another.)

Tier 2 Stellakinesis(Arbiter can create, destroy, manipulate, and enter alternate dimensions, using his control of space-time.)

Immortality(Arbiter is immortal and eternally young, but can still die.)

Greatsword Wielder (Arbiter can wield a greatsword [a larger, heavier version of a sword] with flawless technique.)

Willpower (Arbiter is a determined and resilient foe that does not surrender easily, making him even more tough and dangerous. He is also resistant to most forms of psychic attack. Only Misery, Eclipse, Hatter, and Morpheus have ever been able to break into/affect his mind.)

'Thauma'turgy (Arbiter is somewhat learned in the arts of Thaumaturgy)

Ragnarok (Arbiter will create a glowing ring of energy around a point in space. Once the ring is completed, a spherical field of energy will form around the ring. Arbiter can draw power from everything within the sphere. Arbiter can also use his sword, Laevateinn, to focus all of his power and shatter the field of energy, causing all of space-time within the ring to distort and tear itself apart. This power is based on Thaumaturgy and Order, and Arbiter hates to use it.)

Cosmic Web(Arbiter occult "Chaos" ability in contrast with his "Order" ability Ragnarok. Arbiter's form will turn into something akin to pure energy, before branching outwards like roots that spread outward and continually branch out. The effects of this are random, but usually involve the distortion/rending of space-time itself.)

Trivia

Arbiter fears and hates his own powers to certain extents.

Arbiter is one of few characters who possess a golden eye color- other notable characters being Corvus and Orpheus.

Arbiter has the image of a dragon branded around his wrist, signifying his status as a half-breed.

Having finally found his purpose, Arbiter chooses to protect the universe out of penance for all the worlds he has destroyed.

Having recovered from the power of Order by obtaining the abilities of Balance, Arbiter is relearning how to establish friendships and bonds.

Ryou called himself "Arbiter" as he was to be the "judge" of worlds. As of now, he keeps that title, as if carrying the burden of his sins.

Arbiter's original name was going to be Deathwalker, but that was changed in the midst of the original Judge and Executioner.

Arbiter has had the most appearances out of any character in Villains.

Allusions

Arbiter's ability "Ragnarok" is an allusion to the old Norse version of the apocalypse, Ragnarok. During Ragnarok, the blade Laevateinn was used to shatter the dome of the sky (or in some variations of the myth, the roots of the World Tree). Arbiter's ability has him shatter a field of energy with his own blade, also called Laevateinn.